Be My Wings
by CuteCat213
Summary: People are cruel. The world is cruel. But there's freedom on the wind around you and they can't hold you down anymore. In Kise's arms, you have WINGS, and they can't hold you back ever again. (Reader Insert. Reader X Kise)


You see it on his face as soon as he leaves the gymnasium, the tense set of shoulders, the frustration in his golden eyes. He wants to give in to the anger inside, wants to shout and twist and scream. Then he looks up and sees you.

He smiles, bright and cheerful and _fake_ , concealing. A closed-eyed smile that hides the pain in his eyes. He says something- but you don't pay attention to the words. They're just chatter anyway, Kise's way of distracting you. (Of distracting himself.) The tightness in his muscles give lie to the words. To the smile, strained and cracking even as you watch.

So you step forward and wrap your arms around him. He goes rigid in the hold. Fragile, tense seconds, and then his arms come up around your back and he hides his face in your hair.

"We lost," he whispers raggedly. Pauses. Corrects, " _I_ lost." Another second, a tighter hold. "I lost."

"You flew."

He gives one amused huff, tightens his arm on you for one last second, and then steps back. "I don't know what you mean by that, Wings-cchi. I never know." But there's something in his eyes that says he does. If not perfectly.

You hum in response. The other students make fun of you for the way you talk, don't even try to understand. But not Kise. (Never Kise.) He has A Thing, too, he knows what it's like to be picked on for that. His is -cchi. (His is basketball with the other models. His is modeling with the other basketball players. Two worlds and one foot in each and people never take well to that. That's your issue, too. The only problem is that one world in the one around you and the other is inside your mind.)

Wings. Wings and wind and freedom. You're stuck here on the ground, but not inside. There's an infinite sky around you and their words can't reach you there. You see that in Kise, too. "You have _wings,_ " you say, feel the echo of it. The first words you ever said to him.

He'd laughed then, but not at you. (So you'd tried to show him. Dragged him up to the roof and scared him half to death by jumping up to walk on the railing. 'Wings-cchi, please, come down off of there. Please? Right now please?' It was your turn to laugh then.)

Pictures, sketches, _wings._ Sitting on the sidelines during his practices, getting cans of Red Bull for him because you're funny even if you had to show Kise the commercials for it on your phone.

"Turn around," you whisper. Confused but willing, Kise does, turning his back to you. You reach out and set your hand lightly against his back, feel his muscles tense at the touch before relaxing. You walk your fingers up his spine until you reach his shoulder blades. And then you trail your fingers across his shoulders in an arch. "You're here on the ground. But when you hold a basketball, you can't feel the earth anymore. When you smile at the camera, there's nothing holding you down. You don't listen to their words, don't let them touch you." Because he loves modeling, and he loves basketball and- "You have _wings._ "

"[Name]cchi..."

"Kise."

"I lost."

"Win next time."

"It's not that simple!"

"Is," you contest. You let your hand rest on his shoulder. "You played, and you lost. But you _flew_. Don't land now, don't stop flying. Kise is made for the sky."

He turns slowly, but you don't pull away, and he grabs your hand before it can drop. There's less pain in his eyes now as he searches your face.

"You'll get better," you say certainly.

"I'll try." There's a haunted look and smile up at him. Words claw after him. 'Weakest of the Generation of Miracles', they try to shackle him to the ground and you shake them off.

"You _will_ get better." You squeeze his hand. "You were born to fly."

He laughs softly in amusement and leans his forehead against yours. "If so, it's because [Name]cchi gave me wings." He twines his fingers with yours. "Fly with me?"

His eyes are impossibly warm and his expression takes your breath away. ( _Too high,_ you think. Thin air and excitement and-) "Yes." There is no other answer.

Kise smiles again. There are no shadows this time. He laughs, then picks you up and spins you around, making you squeal. You couldn't protest if you wanted to. _Send me soaring._

You're flying in Kise's arms. There's an infinite sky over your heads and those golden eyes feel like freedom.


End file.
